Improvement in attaching keys to melodeons



A. G. BURTON. ATTAGHING KEYS TO MELODEGNS, (Sac.

No. 43,389, Patented July 5, 1864.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

A. G. BURTON, OF SHELBURNE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT lN ATTACHING KEYS TO MELODEONS, &c.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43,389, dated July 5, 18134.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, A. G. BURTON, of Shelburne Falls, in the county ot Franklin and State of Massachusetts, have invr-- ed a new and useful Improvement in the dunner of Attaching the Keys to the Key-.lwards of Melodeons' and other Similar Instruments; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a top plan of a section of the keys and keyboard of a melodeon. Fig. 2 represents a rear elevation thereof; and and Figs. 3, 4, .3 represent severally sections through the keys, and showing the mode of attachment to the key-board. all being modifications of the same general plan.

Similar letters of reference, where they oc-- our in the separate figures, denote like parts in all of them.

The keys of melodeons heretofore have been almost universally connected to the key-board by. a slot and pin, and these have been made to work quite loosely, so that the swelling of the wood would not cause them to bind and because of this loose connection a guide-pin and hole had to he used at the opposite end of the key to prevent it from moving laterally, and thus touching the adjacent key. I am aware, however, that a flexible connection of cloth or leather has been used to unite the key to the key-board, but such an attachment is notsufliciently permanent or reliable, as it soon breaks or wears out.

My invention consists in connecting the key to the key-board by a spring made of thin metal, wood, bone, or hard rubber, or any other equivalent hard and elastic material.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawlugs.

A A A represent three keys of any of the ordinary kind used on melodeons or other similar wind'instruments, and though shown separated, for the sake of illustration, may be arranged in close juxtaposition to each other, as in the common way.

B is the key-board, made in any of the wellknown ways, and the keys A are connected thereto by thin brass or other suitably elastic springs a. The spring a may .be varied in form' or material, as well as in its mode of attachment to the key and keyboard B without changing the character of the inventionas,for instance, in Fig. 3 the spring is connected to the key by a turned-up flange, c, which enters an open mortise made in the end of the key, and when the spring is in place a block or plug, (7, of wood or any other material, closes up the mortise and holds that end of the spring tightly and firmly in place. The other end of the spring may be held to the key-board by the flanges j, which are forced into saw kert's or cuts, to hold it firmly there.

In Fig. 4 I have shown the key board end of the spring as held by screws or nails e, the fastening at the other end being the same as in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 5 the key is secured to the spring by an oblique saw-kert', into which the bentup end of the spring may be forced, as therein shown; and said spring may be held to the key-board by a single screw or nail, in which case a guide-pin, g, and slot or hole h should be used to prevent the key from moving laterally and interfering with the next adjacent key; but I prefer to dispense with the guidepin and slot 9 h, as they are subject to the same difficulty of swelling-0t the wood as when used to fasten the key to the key-board; and my mode of attachment of key and keyboard can be so made as to prevent any lateral motion of the key, and hence dispense with the guide-pin and hole. This attachment a, by its elastic nature, will sustain a portion of the weight of the key, and to this extent may aid the spring that works the valve and raise the key afterthe pressure has been removed from it,- and the spring, instead of being made as above stated, may have that end of it which is attached to the key-board formed into a cylindrical shape or bent around, so as to fit into a round or semiround hole.

Having thus fully described the object and purpose of my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patout, is-- Uniting the keys ofmelodeons to the keyboard by means of springs, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

A. G. BURTON.

\Vitnesses E. B. WILLIAMS, WM. SHERwiN. 

